Blogging Tips: How I Edit My Blog and Social Media Photos

If you would like to know how I turn my photos from looking yellow and dingy to bright and appealing then keep on reading.

I like to look and read blogs that I find visually appealing and therefore I aim for the same for my blog. Personally I think that good photography is essential for great blog content.

Having A Theme:

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will have noticed that my style is very minimal and monochromatic and therefore I also like to keep my blog and social media photography clean, minimalistic and monochromatic.

You do not have to go for the same white background minimalistic look however; have a theme that represents you and your blog.

Editing Apps/Software:

When I first started blogging, I used to edit my photos with iPhoto and it did a good job however I most definitely prefer and only use editing apps now and I am going to share with you down below exactly what I use and how I use them.

Before:

Photo taken with the OlympusPenEPL7 in very poor lighting at night time.

The EPL7 doesn't have a built in flash

After:

Step 1: FaceTune

Facetune is literally my favourite app ever for whitening my images. The app has a Whiten "toothbrush" brush that makes your whites whiter and really brings out the true colours of your image. You have full control of the areas that you want to edit.

Step 2: VSCO

After whitening the photo with FaceTune, I saved and uploaded the image to VSCO

On VSCO, I increased the exposure by +3 and sharpened the image by +6 and for my preset (which is the filter), I used J2 at +12.

Apps available from the app store.

The above is literally more or less what I do with all my photos.

I always whiten the image, adjust the exposure/brightness up or down by no more than 3. Sometimes I adjust the contrast, again no more than +/-3.

I also adjust sharpness and clarity, how much depends on the photo. I don't usually use this for selfies and portraits as the images can become quite grainy.

After playing around with the edits, I then choose a preset/filter that I feel will go well with my overall theme. I usually use A5 or J2 on VSCO.

The Edits:

FaceTune:

Whiten and Smooth

VSCO:

Exposure +1

Contrast +1

Clarity +2

Sharpen +10

Preset: J2 +6

The Edits:

FaceTune:

Whiten and Smooth

VSCO:

Exposure +1

Contrast +3

Sharpen +6

Preset: A5 +12

Other Apps:

PhotoWonder - good edits and filters

Layout - Instagram collages

SnapSeed - I find this one a little bit more complex than the other apps but it does have good editing capabilities once you get the hang of it.

Top Tip To Remember:

The edits you use will depend on the starting point of your before picture for example adding +3 exposure can be quite harsh on a photo that is already bright to begin with. Coping exactly how someone else edits their photos may not work for you.

You just really have to play around with the apps and see what works best for your images.

All in all I hope this has been somewhat helpful and has given you some ideas for your blog and social media photography.